Motor vehicles have a luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle which is accessible through a luggage compartment opening. A deck lid panel is mounted on a hinge assembly. The hinge assembly enables movement of the deck lid panel between an open position providing access to the luggage compartment and a closed position that seals the luggage compartment opening to protect and secure the luggage or other items stored in the luggage compartment.
It is well known to provide a trim panel that mounts on the sidewall of the luggage compartment. The trim panel prevents the luggage from being placed in a position that would interfere with the operation of the hinge assembly. In addition, the hinge assembly is not particularly attractive and the trim panel improves the aesthetics of the luggage compartment by limiting the vehicle user's ability to see the deck lid hinge and other unattractive inner workings of the vehicle body. Concealment of the hinge assembly from view would require that the trim panel fit very tightly about the hinge assembly so that the vehicle user will not have a line of sight into the area behind the trim panel. However, the trim panel cannot fit tightly about the hinge assembly because it is necessary to avoid the possibility of interference between the trim panel and the hinge assembly. Interference between the trim panel and hinge assembly can result because of normal dimensional variations during the manufacture of the motor vehicle. In addition the hinge assembly must have a range of adjustment so that the deck lid can be precisely fitted within the luggage compartment opening. Furthermore, some users may force oversize luggage items into the luggage compartment which will bend or dislodge the trim panel, causing the trim panel to interfere with the operation of the hinge assembly. Accordingly, it is customary to have the trim panel surround the hinge assembly as close as possible and yet leave a substantial remaining gap between the trim panel and hinge assembly to provide an allowance for manufacturing variation, or adjustment of the hinge assembly, or dislodgement of the trim panel.
It would be desirable to provide a new and improved trim panel and hinge assembly arrangement for a vehicle body that would avoid the undesirable interference of the hinge assembly with the trim panel and yet at the same time fully conceal the unsightly inner workings of the vehicle from the vehicle user's sight.